Brand Hong Kong (BrandHK), a communications platform launched nine years ago by the Government to promote Hong Kong to the global audience, has been reviewed and revitalised with minor changes and its dragon logo taking on a more contemporary look.

The updated brand DNA, or basic elements that make up BrandHK, were announced by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at a launch ceremony today (Mar 27) at the piazza of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The five updated core values of BrandHK are: Free, Enterprising, Excellence, Innovative and Quality Living. Core values are what Hong Kong people cherish or aspire to.

As for attributes, which describe Hong Kong's perceived characteristics, they have been revised as: Cosmopolitan, Secure, Connected, Diverse and Dynamic.

Mr Tsang said that these 10 adjectives or phrases describing BrandHK might sound "all too familiar". Nevertheless, when we compare them with the brand's old core values and attributes, we should be able to discern some subtle changes that should not be ignored, he said.

First, he pointed out that "Innovative" and "Quality Living" have been classified as "aspirational" values. Second, he highlighted the fact that "Quality Living" was a new core value and some of its elements, such as nature and heritage conservation or healthy work-life balance, were absent in the BrandHK launched in 2001.

Turning to the BrandHK positioning, he said: "Survey findings revealed general support for Hong Kong to position itself as 'Asia's world city', so we have kept the brand positioning as it is."

The updated brand platform defines Hong Kong as a free and dynamic society where creativity and entrepreneurship converge. Strategically located in the heart of Asia, it is a cosmopolitan city offering global connectivity, security and rich diversity, and is home to a unique network of people who celebrate excellence and quality living.

The most eye-catching update is the BrandHK visual identity, which keeps the essence of the original flying dragon although the dragon itself has evolved and changed colour. It is the work of renowned designer Mr Alan Chan.

"Feedback from the review showed general backing for the dragon, which has built up substantial equity over the years. There are also views that the visual identity should have a refreshed image to reflect the updated brand DNA, " Mr Tsang said. Hence the evolution of the dragon.

Explaining on the same occasion his creative ideas behind his dynamic logo design, Mr Chan said that the blue and green ribbons that extend from the dragon symbolise blue sky and a sustainable environment, while Lion Rock, which represents the "can-do" spirit of Hong Kong people, is silhouetted by the red ribbon.

Revitalisation of the Hong Kong city brand follows an in-depth review in 2008 and 2009 which sought to engage a wide cross section of the community in fostering a shared vision for Hong Kong and its branding.

The emphasis on "public engagement" and "vision co-creation" was to ensure that the updated DNA of the revitalised BrandHK would not be out of touch with public perceptions of the city, Mr Tsang said.

Initiated by the Chief Executive in his 2007 Policy Address, the review ensured that "BrandHK evolves with the times and remains an effective communications platform" for promoting the city.

Mr Tsang said that to gauge public views of and aspirations for the city, professional opinion surveys, sectoral consultation sessions, focus groups and vision co-creation workshops were held between May 2008 and April 2009. In addition, a web platform, myhk2020.com, was set up to further engage the public, and two creative competitions were held to tap participants' vision of an ideal Hong Kong.

Public opinion gathered through these channels formed the basis of revisions to the DNA of BrandHK.

External perceptions of the city were surveyed firstly through nation/location branding expert Simon Anholt's City Brands Index Reports on Hong Kong and secondly through WebLedge, a customised Internet research tool, to make Internet-derived comparisons between Hong Kong and other global cities.

An analysis of views compiled by the consultants involved in the opinion gathering exercise has been uploaded on to the revamped BrandHK website for public viewing at: